Found in Africa, are many different large mammals including hippopotamus, elephant and Panthera leo more commonly known as the African Lions. There are seven different species of lions and sixteen different sub-species: North East Congo Lion, Southwest African Lion, European Lion, Indian Lion, Congo Lion, South African Lion, Barbary Lion, Cape Lion, Massai Lion, Marozi, East African Lion, South Asian Lion, Abyssinian Lion, Somali Lion, West African Lion and Kalahari Lion. Four of these sub-species are now extinct. There are six different sub species of African Lions that still exist today. This report will specifically discuss the six remaining African lion.
Adaptations of the African Lions Structural First Structural Adaptation:
The African Lions have a very muscular figure with a small number of bones compared to other large mammals such as the giraffe. The lion’s physique is what enables it to move in a graceful manner and what provides the female of the species (the lioness) with the power to rip apart her prey for her prides to eat.
Environmentally, the lion’s muscular build causes damage to the flora around when the lion steps and/or runs. Provoking the farmers to start shooting at the lions.
Second Structural Adaptation:
Lions, like cats are visual animals that have large circular pupils that can easily adapt to lack of light. The lion’s pupils have a clear reflective coating that allows the retina to receive every potential photon of light giving them better night vision. Also the lion has white circles beneath its eyes to help reflect the light into the lion’s vision.
Because lions are nocturnal, their amazing night vision allows them to stalk their prey when it’s dark. The lion’s night vision could affect positively on the environment, as they would be able to see better reducing the harm to the flora. However, it would impact negatively on the fauna, as it would be easier for the lions to stalk their prey.
Behaviour First Behavioural Adaptation:
Lions have the capability to be heard from 8-10kms away. They are one of only four of the cats in the cat family that are able to roar. This is because they have a two-piece hyoid bone found in their throats. This bone structure is unlike that of the other cats in the cat family, as they only have a one-piece hyoid bone.
Individually, a lion roars to tell their prides that they are home and safe.
Roaring causes noise pollution to their habitat. In can increase the blood pressure of the other fauna around them (as it can cause the other fauna to become frightened and nervous) causing stress and loss of appetite and loss of weight.
Second Behavioural Adaptation:
Lions have teeth that have been modified to be used for killing and eating their prey. Their carnassials (back teeth) have been shaped to act as a pair of scissors to slice their meat. All their teeth have been spaced out perfectly to ensure that the lion can eat easily. Lion’s do not chew their food greatly, they swallow large pieces of meat in chunks. They cannot move their jaws sideways and they only ever use one side of their mouth at a time to chew. Their tongues have papialle (coarse spines) that they use to get the meat off bones.
Lions have these adaptations so that they can kill and eat their prey quickly and easily.
The modifications of the teeth allow the lions to kill more flora and fauna around them. This can impact on the environment negatively as it means that it must work to regrow crops and overhunting may cause other animals to become extinct.
Physiological
Compared to most animals, the cat family has one of the shortest digestive systems. Cats indulge themselves with food approximately once a week. When they are not eating/killing they will be sleeping.
The lion has a very straightforward digestive system that can easily digest meat, as they do not need cellulose to break down their food. This adaptation helps the lion to easily digest the food it consumes.
To digest it’s food properly, the lion eats leaves and grasses because the greenery helps to cleanse the lion’s body. Eating the greenery would only cause a major problem to the environment around them if, over time, lots of lions ate too much vegetation leaving no vegetation for the other animals.
The African Lion’s Current Habitat Figure 2) The Habitat of the African Lions (rough map) Source: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/lion
Mostly, African lions are found in the southern and eastern parts of Africa and the southern parts of the Sahara desert. The lions have chosen these locations because they consist of grasslands and semi-arid plains as shown above in figure 2. As lions are nocturnal they need this habitat with the Acacia trees that give plenty of shade to rest underneath during the day as shown in figure 3.
The lions also stay in these habitats because their prey can be found there. Lions are carnivores they eat large or medium sized herbivorous mammals mainly consisting of the following: buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, gemsbok, hartebeest, warthog, kob, impala and gazelle, although lion will eat leaves and/or grasses to properly digest their prey. Sometimes lions will cannibalise their young if there is a food shortage within their pride.
Farmers are pushing lions to extinction by killing them and reducing their habitat. Over the past hundred years, the lion population has decreased from approximately 100,000 to 23,000! It the farmers continue to have easy access to weapons, it will lead to further reductions in lion numbers.
The African Lion
Found in Africa, are many different large mammals including hippopotamus, elephant and Panthera leo more commonly known as the African Lions. There are seven different species of lions and sixteen different sub-species: North East Congo Lion, Southwest African Lion, European Lion, Indian Lion, Congo Lion, South African Lion, Barbary Lion, Cape Lion, Massai Lion, Marozi, East African Lion, South Asian Lion, Abyssinian Lion, Somali Lion, West African Lion and Kalahari Lion. Four of these sub-species are now extinct. There are six different sub species of African Lions that still exist today. This report will specifically discuss the six remaining African lion.Scientific Classification of the African Lions
Figure 1) Annotated Male Lion
Source: (own annotation) **http://www.ejphoto.com/images_IL/IL_AfricanLion07**
Adaptations of the African Lions
Structural
First Structural Adaptation:
The African Lions have a very muscular figure with a small number of bones compared to other large mammals such as the giraffe. The lion’s physique is what enables it to move in a graceful manner and what provides the female of the species (the lioness) with the power to rip apart her prey for her prides to eat.
Environmentally, the lion’s muscular build causes damage to the flora around when the lion steps and/or runs. Provoking the farmers to start shooting at the lions.
Second Structural Adaptation:
Lions, like cats are visual animals that have large circular pupils that can easily adapt to lack of light. The lion’s pupils have a clear reflective coating that allows the retina to receive every potential photon of light giving them better night vision. Also the lion has white circles beneath its eyes to help reflect the light into the lion’s vision.
Because lions are nocturnal, their amazing night vision allows them to stalk their prey when it’s dark. The lion’s night vision could affect positively on the environment, as they would be able to see better reducing the harm to the flora. However, it would impact negatively on the fauna, as it would be easier for the lions to stalk their prey.
Behaviour
First Behavioural Adaptation:
Lions have the capability to be heard from 8-10kms away. They are one of only four of the cats in the cat family that are able to roar. This is because they have a two-piece hyoid bone found in their throats. This bone structure is unlike that of the other cats in the cat family, as they only have a one-piece hyoid bone.
Individually, a lion roars to tell their prides that they are home and safe.
Roaring causes noise pollution to their habitat. In can increase the blood pressure of the other fauna around them (as it can cause the other fauna to become frightened and nervous) causing stress and loss of appetite and loss of weight.
Second Behavioural Adaptation:
Lions have teeth that have been modified to be used for killing and eating their prey. Their carnassials (back teeth) have been shaped to act as a pair of scissors to slice their meat. All their teeth have been spaced out perfectly to ensure that the lion can eat easily. Lion’s do not chew their food greatly, they swallow large pieces of meat in chunks. They cannot move their jaws sideways and they only ever use one side of their mouth at a time to chew. Their tongues have papialle (coarse spines) that they use to get the meat off bones.
Lions have these adaptations so that they can kill and eat their prey quickly and easily.
The modifications of the teeth allow the lions to kill more flora and fauna around them. This can impact on the environment negatively as it means that it must work to regrow crops and overhunting may cause other animals to become extinct.
Physiological
Compared to most animals, the cat family has one of the shortest digestive systems. Cats indulge themselves with food approximately once a week. When they are not eating/killing they will be sleeping.
The lion has a very straightforward digestive system that can easily digest meat, as they do not need cellulose to break down their food. This adaptation helps the lion to easily digest the food it consumes.
To digest it’s food properly, the lion eats leaves and grasses because the greenery helps to cleanse the lion’s body. Eating the greenery would only cause a major problem to the environment around them if, over time, lots of lions ate too much vegetation leaving no vegetation for the other animals.
The African Lion’s Current Habitat
Figure 2) The Habitat of the African Lions (rough map)
Source: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/lion
Mostly, African lions are found in the southern and eastern parts of Africa and the southern parts of the Sahara desert. The lions have chosen these locations because they consist of grasslands and semi-arid plains as shown above in figure 2. As lions are nocturnal they need this habitat with the Acacia trees that give plenty of shade to rest underneath during the day as shown in figure 3.
The lions also stay in these habitats because their prey can be found there. Lions are carnivores they eat large or medium sized herbivorous mammals mainly consisting of the following: buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, gemsbok, hartebeest, warthog, kob, impala and gazelle, although lion will eat leaves and/or grasses to properly digest their prey. Sometimes lions will cannibalise their young if there is a food shortage within their pride.
Farmers are pushing lions to extinction by killing them and reducing their habitat. Over the past hundred years, the lion population has decreased from approximately 100,000 to 23,000! It the farmers continue to have easy access to weapons, it will lead to further reductions in lion numbers.
Figure 3) Stalking Prey in the Trees Whilst Keeping Cool
Source: http://www.arkive.org/media/B9/B9775505-046A-436D-95E6-EC8E0F1EB57F/Presentation.Large/photo
Bibliography/References
Matheson, A. M. (2002-2010). African Lion. Retrieved June 4, 2010 from http://photohome.com/photos/animal-pictures/wildlife/lion-5.html
Unknown Author. (2010). African Lion » Panthera Leo » ‘Leeu’ . Retrieved June 8, 2010 from http://www.safarinow.com/cms/african-lion/irie.aspx
Unknown Author. (2010). African Lion Panthera Leo Krugeri . Retrieved June 18, 2010 fromhttp://www.thebigzoo.com/animals/african_lion.asp
Unknown Author. (2010). ANIMAL BYTES- African Lion. Retrieved June 29, 2010 from http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/carnivora/african-lion.htm
Unknown Author (2006). Lion Sub-Species. Retrieved July 11, 2010 from http://www.learnanimals.com/lion/sub-species.php11/7/10
Stoffel, T. S. (2010). Lion Facts. Retrieved July 17, 2010 from http://www.lionlamb.us/lion/lionfact.html
Unknown Author. (2010). African Lion Fact- Panthera Leo . Retrieved July 19, 2010 fromhttp://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/lion.ph
Unknown Author. (2010). Lion Habitat: Where Do Lions Live. Retrieved July 19, 2010 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/lion-habitat-where-do-lions-live.html